I Too Just Test Drove

While in the midst of Christmas shopping, on a whim I figured I'd cruise down to our local Mazda dealership to check out a 3. They had advertised in today's paper that they now have them in stock.

They had an S being displayed on the showroom floor; a Silver sedan built in 10/03, according to the door sticker...


In terms of interior componentry, I found the quality and feel of the interior most excellent. All of the surface plastics impart a high quality feel, and I'd have to say that overall I felt the look to be quite nice, also. That said, the 3 feels smaller inside than the Protege, and the back seat, as others have noted, is indeed very small. It's a bit offensive that Mazda stepped backwards in terms of back seat spacing compared to the comfort offered by the Protege-- It's just like the Jetta back there: Totally uncomfortable and cramped. That really sucks. The glove box and trunk are the most cavernous I've ever seen in a small car, though. And the trunk uses the same hinge assembly as the 6-- Quite cool!

The seating on the S they had on display was the cloth type, and although to the touch it feels a bit rough and hard, I found the driver's seat comfortable to sit in. The rough feel of the cloth will hold you tight in place during hard cornering, I'd expect. They have a new seat adjustment property that allows you to "pump" the seat forward or backward in single increments; an interesting function.

After chatting for a bit with the sales guy (telling me everything I knew already, given that I've been following the 3 for some time), he offered a test drive, which I of course felt I couldn't refuse. And, as luck would have it, they had an S sedan 5-speed with 17's ready to go; a gray one.

It was already well after dark and raining like living hell, but I hopped in, with my girlfriend in the passenger seat and the sales guy in the back. This too had the cloth seating. I'm 6 feet tall, and although I didn't have a lot of time to fine tune the seat position, nor did I adjust the steering wheel, I felt that my leg position didn't line up well with my arms-- At comfortable arm length my legs were a bit crunched. As said however, this might have been solved with a steering wheel adjustment. I'll try that next time...

The lighting scheme inside is indeed quite cool. Although I still think the VW Jetta's blue cluster is cooler, the blue/red combo looked nice, and the displays were clear and legible. The engine was already running and there was a lot of rain noise, but in that setting I thought engine noise at idle was pretty good-- Easily better than the Protege. The transmission was a little notchy, but notably shorter than my ES Pro. I think Honda still builds smoother manuals, personally, but I'd still say that the 3's transmission is quite nice for a small car. The clutch indeed is very light. It's quite different than the Protege's-- All of you guys who pointed that out are right on the money, there.

Right away it was very evident that Mazda has finally started paying attention to comfort in their small car offering. Even though this car was equipped with the 17-inch wheel/tire option, the ride was much, MUCH better than the Protege's has ever been. I've long been extremely unhappy with the Pro's harsh, bouncy ride, and I have to say I was personally very pleased with the 3's civil characteristics. Road noise levels, which have always been another pisser to me in my ES Pro, are also far better controlled. This vehicle could well prove to be the best riding car in the small car class-- Finally (in my opinion).

Although I didn't push it (I've always been a modest driver, anyway), the 2.3 liter engine was responsive and nice sounding (i.e. quiet). Steering response was, I'd say, quick compared to many other small cars out there (like the Civic, for instance), but not more so than the Protege. I agree with many others' comments that the Protege feels more responsive than the 3. I think they're again totally right about that. For those of you who like more pure 'sports car like' response, I think the Pro remains a better match.

The fuel was on empty when we pulled out, so the sales guy had us drive to a nearby fuel station. The fuel door on the Mazda 3 is now on the right side of the car, incidentally! I was a little surprised by that move, as the Pro and the 6 are both on the left side. Why Mazda changed that I don't know.

After leaving the fuel station we pulled out on to the freeway, and again, I found the ride smooth and comfortable. It wasn't "floaty" by any means; just civil and nicely managed. The car also has a center arm rest that you can actually use (I've found my Pro's far too short and low-- It's NEVER been usable to me, and I've hated that). I only had time and open freeway enough to get the car to around 60 MPH, but I thought the RPM's were still on the high side at these boring, slow speeds. One of the things about the Protege that has also always bothered me is the high RPM's the engine runs at the U.S. speed limit(s)-- In my opinion an engine should run at 2500 RPM at 65 MPH. Nice and efficient, keeps noise down... I don't understand why Mazda continues to insist on daft RPM management. But anyway, despite that I think the 3 will be a LOT more comfortable on long road trips than the Protege ever has been. As I've said before, I've found the Pro fun when zipping around town on short trips, but out on long drives the noise and harsh ride make driving the car very tiresome. I think the Mazda 3 will be much nicer to drive over distance.

So anyway, despite some shortcomings, I'd say the Mazda 3, for the characteristics I appreciate at least, is a vastly better car than the Protege. I understand how some of it's smoother traits might irk some driving enthusiasts, but in terms of appealing to a wider customer base, I think the 3 will be a big hit for Mazda, and help them achieve sales numbers getting closer to the likes of Toyota and Honda. And it's improved power will still allow this car to be a formidable presence for those of you who are into modding for performance. You guys will be able to tweak this car to be pretty impressive if you tune the suspension and such. In short, I think this car could serve to impress nearly anyone; not just enthusiasts as I believe the Protege better appeals to now.

Thanks for enduring my long post, folks! Overall I was very impressed with this car, and although I'll have to wait about a year until prices come down enough to make it realistic for me to afford, I'd say if this car compiles a good reliability record in that time, this could well be my replacement for the Protege. Given how unfortunately unhappy I've been with the Pro, it's going to be a long year in wait...

About the right side fuel door.....

It's like that on the FC RX-7 as well.

The reason I believe why the mz3 has it on the right side, is because I think they share the same platform as the Volvo S40.

Normally the gas door is on the opposite side of the exhaust pipe so that it is not that close to that heat source.

One of the things I want to do before I buy one is drive it in the rain. Did it stick to the slick roads well? Please, be as detailed as possible, this is one of my big concerns and I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks!

Mazoku said:

One of the things I want to do before I buy one is drive it in the rain. Did it stick to the slick roads well? Please, be as detailed as possible, this is one of my big concerns and I'd really appreciate any input. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Than handling is great on the 3. Your concern will be more about the tires. Stock tires normally equals ok grip. If you want very good grip then you need to look at aftermarket tires. I have the RS-A tires and they are fine for me. I'l have them all used up in 2 summers anyway. Being in Canada I prefered investing in good winter tires because the RS-A is pure crap in snow.

Unknown

I wish I could help in terms of a detailed wet weather analysis, but I honestly didn't push the car during the test drive enough to really know for sure how well it handled. As said, it was raining fiercely, and it had been for about 24 hours at that point here in the Pac Northwest. Roads were flooded, etc.-- Man it was a mess around here. Based on that I was going easy; even more so than I usually am given that Ive always been a moderate driver, anyway.

At any rate, as most of you surely know, the larger your tires are, the worse your wet weather driving will be (all other things being equal). If youre concerned about maximum wet weather, Id recommend avoiding the 17-inch optional tires/wheels, and indeed, as MT-GT astutely said, aftermarket tires rated for wet conditions will always be your best bet.

Im still impressed how comfortable the ride was on those 17s The standard 16 inchers would probably mean for an even more comfortable ride. Ohhhh What a long, long year in wait this is going to be until prices are reasonable. My Pro is so comparatively crude it's painful (in mho).

Well, since I'm in the US and I want a hatchback I will get the 17's... I won't be able to get extra tires, getting the car alone will be spreading the cash thin enough.

You can see what I'm driving now on the side there...it's got 15in wheels and limited slip differential. I can hit the gas in it pretty hard on slick roads without much sliding. I'm just afraid that the Mazda3 might not handle as well in the rain. The snow isn't a big deal, everything slides in the snow.

My current car is a '95...I'm sure technology has increased alot since then...

I'm in the same boat at you Eugeosyncline, I have to wait a while too before I get a Mazda3...I'm just not sure how long yet...

Drove It Again

Well, this past weekend I again drove the 3-- This time an "i" instead of the "S" I drove earlier.

Overall, as you might expect, I didn't notice any difference in terms of ride feel, the i compared to the S. The 2 liter engine I found a bit noisier perhaps, but not much, and it easily beat the Protege's raucous engine noise, particularly when the engine is cold.

As others have noted, the clutch action on the 3 is considerably different than the Protege. Although shifter throws are shorter, the clutch has a long engagement cycle that feels less sporty than the Protege's, although this likely makes it easier to drive for those not as adept at manual transmissions. Clutch action is also lighter; maybe a little too light compared to what I prefer.

On an aside, I also drove a Honda Accord EX (twice) over the last couple of weeks. It's of course in a different size class, but I'm sorry to say I believe Accord is a superior car to the Mazda3. Interior components feel more substantial, it's ride is superior, it's quieter, and Mazda is yet to build a manual transmission that matches Honda. The 5-speed on the Accord is phenomenal, with short, smooth, excellent engagement, and a feel that exudes quality. I'd like to drive a 6 some time to compare the transmissions, but I don't believe Mazda will match it. They're just not as good.

At any rate, in about 5-6 months I'll be in full Protege replacement mode, and that's a time when I'll have to see where Mazda3 prices are, and whether it's compiled a reasonable reliability record. It must be at least 'better than average' or I shall not consider it. Otherwise, except for it's current offensive price (which I think will come down in half a year or so), the Mazda3 continues to impress me as a worthy contender in the small car class-- Well, also except for that horrible back seat-- It's far too small; maybe the worst out of mainstream small cars like Corolla, Accent, Sentra, etc.. Protege has a great back seat area, and why Mazda chose to screw that up defies sentient comprehension.

I understand your point but like you said. The Accord is in another class and should be compared to the mz6 not the 3.

i just test drove a rally white mazda 3 hatchback with auto trans yesterday and it gives me back that zoom zoom feeling again. maybe i will purchase again but too bad there are no incentives at this time. still like the P5 coz i think it looks better and the dealership has a 2003 vivid yellow on the lot. hope i can get a good deal....how much do you guys think the best price for it now. aloha....

I just saw the 3 in the dealer's showroom. Really nice and practical-looking car. The height is actually shorter than in the pictures. Definitely not a Vibe or Matrix since the 3 is a lot smaller but not inside. I'm 5'9" and I thought the back seats has enough room for my legs, at least than the current VW Golfs. The front seat height position feels just like my VW Golf A4 with the height adjuster. I'm so happy that it doesn't sit high like the Ford Focus. I definitely will want to buy the hatchback later this year.